If You Love Harry Potter, You’ll Like These Books, Too

The Harry Potter book series engaged your child for hours and hours. But, the books have been read and reread. Is there life after Harry Potter? Yes! Keep reading with this huge list of magical books like Harry Potter that you’ll love just as much.

If You Love Harry Potter, You’ll Like These Magical Books, Too

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (ages 8 – 12) Wonderfully crafted and imagined, this is a fairy tale of sorts about a good witch who rescues a town’s abandoned (the town thinks sacrificed) babies and gives them to another town to love. Except one baby who she adopts for her own; a special baby named Luna who is accidentally infused with moon magic. It’s also the story of the baby’s magical, bereaved mother, a wicked witch who feeds off sorrow, a woodcarver who wants justice, and most of all, Luna.

The Familiars series by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (8 – 12 years) I’m a big fan of this series and it’s a bit easier to read than the Harry Potter books. Do you know about familiars? They are the magical animal companions to wizards. And in this first story, they’ll have to save the world when the wizard’s powers are taken away. Great for kids who love animals and magical adventures.

Ever After High Boxed Set by Shannon Hale (ages 8 – 12) The kids of famous fairytales are at boarding high school together separated by heroes and villains. Except some kids like Raven want to pick their own story and ending, not live a preset story. This series is easy-to-read, magical, and fun-filled fairy tale mash-ups!

The Land of Storiesby Chris Colfer (8 – 12 years) Fairy tales come alive when Alex and Conner (brother and sister) find themselves entering INTO the the fairy tale book given to them by their grandmother. Their only way home from this magical world is to find the ingredients for a Wishing Spell. They embark on a dangerous, mysterious, and life changing journey. This is a wonderful, addictive adventure fantasy series with every book superbly imagined and written and I’m positive Harry Potter fans will love this similar fantasy book series!!!

Odd and the Frost Giantsby Neil Gaiman (8 – 12 years) If your child hasn’t learned about Nordic mythology, this will be a great intro. To end the long winter, Odd must journey to find Asgard, a city under siege from the Frost Giants. A wonderful, nail-biting adventure!Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (ages 8 – 12) Every Tuesday, the castle where Princess Celie and her family live, adds on a new room, or turret, or wing. Celie loves her castle, and it’s living ways. So, when robbers attack her parents carriage, and they are never seen again, Celie takes comfort that their room is exactly the same, hoping the castle knows they are still alive. But, can the castle and Celie stop the Royal Council and the foreign prince from taking over the kingdom? My kids and I LOVE this unique and imaginative series; I bet your Harry Potter fans will, too. (And it’s on the easier comprehension side.)

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (series) (9 – 13 years) You’ll love the strong female princess named Cimorene in this book who doesn’t want to be a princess rescued and married off. She leaves her home to apprentice herself to a dragon. For fun. No rescuing involved, thank you very much. Plus, she must help save her dragon from the wizards. LOVE and highly recommend this fantasy series. (See more excellent chapter books with dragons here.)

Sea of Trolls seriesby Nancy Farmer (10 years and up) A bard, a boy, a band of Viking berserkers, trolls, dragons, and a quest — what more could you want in a mythological fantasy series? This is one of those can’t-put-down books that will keep you up all night reading and I loved all the books in this series. Harry Potter enthusiasts will enjoy reading this remarkable adventure with elements of Norse and Old English mythology.

The Iron Trial (Magisterium) series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (ages 9 – 13) Even though Callum tries to fail the entrance trials, he is admitted the the school his dad says is evil. But the Magisterium school is not as bad as he expect. Call learns about his elemental powers, he forges bonds of friendship with his teammates, and rescues a wolf puppy who is infused with the magic of Chaos. I couldn’t put this book down — especially after the surprise twist of who Callum really is!! Great for Harry Potter fans, as it’s similar in fantasy, adventure and magical elements.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Throne, and John Tiffany (ages 9+) This play is such a treat for us who love Harry Potter — it’s one more trip to this beloved world. We follow Harry’s second son, Albus, and his best friend, Scorpius who is Draco’s son. The boys decide to change history and steal an illegal time-turner from the Ministry of Magic. As you can imagine, messing with history is disastrous. Revisit your favorite places and characters with this new HP story.

Five Kingdoms: Sky Raidersby Brandon Mull (8 – 12 years) What an imaginative world! Brandon Mull has outdone himself with an inventive, totally unique world, and interesting characters. Cole, a regular kid, is trick-or-treating with his friends when they all get kidnapped. Cole manages to hide but follows the kidnappers — to another world of five kingdoms, slavery, and magic. Cole is found and sold to slavers on the dreaded Outskirts. There he’ll battle mysterious beings living on cloud castles, discover an exiled princess, escape from slavery, and have unimaginable adventures. Just for starters.

Chronicles of Narniaby C. S. Lewis (8 years and up) I think you already know about these books but if you don’t, they’re absolutely engaging fantasy adventures that will hook your kids just like Harry Potter. We recently listened to the series on audio book which was even more fun to hear it read in a British accent. (Since we’re American.)

A Wrinkle in Timeby Madeline L’Engle (ages 8 – 12) I’ve read this book so many times, I can’t count — many times with my classes as a read aloud — and every time it’s just as fantastic. (That doesn’t always happen with books.) A Wrinkle in Time is a remarkable, well-written adventure in space that deals with the overarching theme of good vs. evil. Meg and her brother, Charles Wallace, and friend, Calvin, set of to find her scientist father who disappeared while researching tesseracts. A must-read for Harry Potter fans.

The School for Good and Evilby Soman Chaining (ages 8 – 12) The School for Good and Evil trains kids to be either heroes or villains. When two children are forcefully taken to attend the school, Sophie, a beautiful (yet stuck-up) princess-type, can’t wait to go to the School for Good. The other girl, Agatha, a black-wearing, drab classmate expects that her goth looks make her a candidate for Evil. But, no! Sophie is put in the School for Evil while Agatha goes to the School for Good. The move surprises them both and yet we realize it’s exactly right. It’s an EXCELLENT trilogy that will have you questioning stereotypes, good and evil, and what makes a good friend. I highly recommend this book for Harry Potter fans.

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows by Jacqueline West (ages 8 – 12)This is an awesome book series about a house that seems to be haunted; with paintings that lead to other worlds, and mysteriously cryptic, talking cats. Olive soon learns that the previous owners trapped many people in the paintings, including a boy Olive befriends who is now a 2D painting. The plot’s twistings kept me wondering what was happening, and my kids and I loved the main character’s gumption and her supportive side-kick cats.

Powerful! I don’t normally like books with animal characters but this was epic, mythological even. I highly recommend this series about rabbits, wolves, and birds, lost kingdoms, good vs. evil, friendship, betrayal, and hope for a better world.

The Cloak Society by Jeramy Kraatz (ages 8 – 12) Alex’s parents raised him in their secret society of supervillains, training him all his life for a life of villainy. He surprises himself in a battle when he saves the life of his enemy, a Ranger of Justice girl named Kirbie. They secretly become friends making Alex question his entire life and the next big mission to wipe out all of the Rangers. This exciting adventure does make us wonder more deeply about nature vs. nature.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee (ages 8 – 12) Stuck in a museum with her sister and father who is working on a sword exhibit, Ophelia’s curiosity leads her to a locked room where a boy has been trapped for thousands of years. But Ophelia doesn’t believe magic. Except, she kind of does. This is a breathtaking journey of loss, acceptance, hope, and friendship and a cool homage to the Snow Queen fairy tale. I loved it so much I wrote about it for the first Read Brightly book club pick.

The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas (ages 8 – 12) Trinket’s storyteller father disappeared years ago. Now that her mother has died, Trinket decides to take the map her father left behind and try to find him. Her friend, Thomas the Pig Boy, travels with her. Each place on the map gives Trinket a new story to tell and she imagines she could learn to be a storyteller like her father. Amazing adventures ensue but when Trinket learns the fate of her father in the seventh story, she must make a very hard decision. I’ve read this book twice and the second time through confirmed it’s the author’s amazing storytelling — its an excellent bedtime chapter book choice.

My 12-year old recommended this book series to me; I enjoyed it as much as she did. In this society, you are sorted as Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted. Alex is an Unwanted and is sent to die. But instead of death, Alex is rescued by a magician who has created a secret, magical haven for the Unwanteds where they live and train to use their magic skills. (The magical characters in this world like Alex’s art teacher — an octagator — are so inventive, just wait until you meet them all.) But Alex risks the safety of his new home to see his Wanted twin in the old world. And yes, the secret world is discovered, war breaks out, and well, it’s epically adventurous.

Storyboundby Marissa Burt (8 – 12 years) Una falls into the land of stories of heroes and villains but something is very wrong. No new stories are being written. So how did she get written in and who is she? We read this for bedtime and my kids and I looked forward to it every night. !

Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling Another must-own book for Harry Potter fans. This is what Dumbledore left to Hermione in his will that helped the friends figure out the Deathly Hollows.

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland (series) (ages 8 – 12) JJ LOVES this series. I only liked it but I’ll admit to not being a huge fan of animal-only stories. So the gist is that a group of dragonets leave their protectors safety and are captured by a dragon faction. The dragonets might just be the long-awaited dragonets of the prophecy that will end the dragon wars for good. Or they might not. One thing’s for sure: when the dragonets are captured, things don’t look good for their future. (See more excellent chapter books with dragons here.)

This story begs the question: Does an evil creator make evil progeny? Or do we have a choice about our destiny? Kymera lives with her father / creator who made her out of parts of other creatures and the soul of her former self who was killed by the evil wizard. Her purpose is to rescue the girls held by the wizard. Except, against her father’s wishes, Kymera befriends a townsperson and learns conflicting information. Could her own father be the wizard? And could Kymera be helping him kill all the girls? It’s a brilliant story, thought-provoking, and well-written.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians seriesby Rick Riordan (10 – 14 years) Did you know that Greek gods exist still? And that sometimes they have kids with humans? And those kids are half-bloods with unique powers? Unfortunately for these kids, monsters are out to kill them and they are the only ones who can save the world from war between the gods and in a later book, between the Titans and the gods. Compared to Harry Potter, the language isn’t as rich but it’s still a fantastic fantasy adventure.

Starcatchersseries by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson (10 years and up) The authors imagined what happened BEFORE Peter Pan and this is the result: a stunning, totally creative fantastical adventure of magical star stuff, evil shadows who want to rule the universe, and so much more. Fans of Harry Potter won’t want to miss this series.

My 12-year old recommended this series to me; I enjoyed it as much as she did. In this society, you are sorted as Wanted, Necessary, and Unwanted. Alex is an Unwanted and is sent to die. But instead of death, Alex is rescued by a magician who has created a secret, magical haven for the Unwanteds where they live and train to use their magic skills. (The magical characters in this world like Alex’s art teacher — an octagator — are so inventive, just wait until you meet them all.) But Alex risks the safety of his new home to see his Wanted twin in the old world. And yes, the secret world is discovered, war breaks out, and well, it’s epically adventurous.

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman (ages 12 – 18) Wow. Nightbird’s magic isn’t only in the story but in the woven images of enchanting characters and plot. This book will stay with you long after the last page. Twelve-year-old Twig lives on the edges, trying to stay unnoticed in order to protect her secret brother — a handsome, smart boy who lives in the attic of her home. He bears the family curse — he has wings. But when he won’t stay hidden anymore, and reveals himself to their beautiful neighbor girl. Twig hurries to stop both the curse and the town from hunting her brother as a monster. A wonderfully bewitching story!

Erec Rex by Kaza Kingsley (ages 8 – 12) Life is not easy for twelve-year-old Erec Rex. His single mother can barely support her six adopted kids. And they’ve moved into an apartment so tiny that Erec sleeps with the washing machine. Worse, there is a strange force within Erec that is making him do odd things. His urge to obey these thoughts grows — until it becomes impossible to resist them. Then one morning, Erec’s mother is missing. The force inside Erec commands him to find her, leading him on an adventure that will change him forever. When he arrives in Alypium, a hidden world where old knowledge of magic is kept, Erec learns that his mother and the entire kingdom are in peril. And he might be the only one who can save them.

Fablehaven seriesby Brandon Mull (9 – 13 years) I endorse this series mostly. The last few books got a bit dull for me but I loved the first few. Two siblings visit their grandparents who they learn run a mythical creature refuge called Fablehaven. Of course, this kids not only discover this secret, but mayhem and adventure ensue. Just like the Harry Potter books, there are tons of magical creatures to discover in this series.

Lockwood & Co The Screaming Staircaseby Jonathan Stroud (8 – 12 years) I devoured this book – and I don’t like scary books. It really wasn’t too scary. Taking place in old-time London, we learn that dangerous ghosts and spirits are appearing everywhere. Teens Lucy, Anthony, and George badly need money for their ghost agency so they take a perilous job that may just be their last. The writing and stories in this series will blow your mind.

Undertow by Michael Buckley (ages 12+)Michael Buckley’s Alpha are from the ocean — clans of creatures with wild amphibian and human appearances and a specific hierarchy. Not only is this world development imaginative, the plot is crazy good –filled with tension, action, and adventure. Our 16 year old heroine, Lyric, is trying to hide that her mom is one of the Alpha (First People) or they’d disappear to a camp if discovered. Lyric’s school is ordered to integrate with the First People. Worse, Lyric is ordered to help the prince, Fathom. Not good for someone trying to fly under the radar. Tensions are high as protestors and students get violent with their hatred of the Alpha but there’s something much worse than the Alpha. And it’s coming. LOVED it! (My husband also loved this book and was mad that he stayed up all night to read it. He told me next time to suggest something more boring.)

Wereworldby Curtis Jobbing (ages 12+) Drew is raised on a farm and knows little of his surroundings. He’s ill prepared to live on the run, which he does when his were powers arise. Fortunately, he meets a other WereLords including a WereBear Lord who fought with Drew’s father and is willing to help him. Kidnappings, revenge, murder, and a prophecy — this book has all the elements you’ll want in a fantasy adventure series. I loved the story, the writing, and the characters and so will older Harry Potter fans.

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly (ages 13+) A great girl power book for teens — this is the story of five mermaids who journey to find each other and then to find the sea witches. An ancient evil is being unleashed and not only is trying to kill the girls, but enslave or kill their communities. Very entertaining.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holberg (ages 13+) In a world where magicians specialize in a specific magic (metal, paper, and so forth), magician-in-training Ceony is assigned to learn from Magician Emery Thane. When his ex-wife tries to kill him, Ceony animate a magical heart to save Emery’s life then leaves to fight the evil magician Excisioners. As the story develops, so does the attraction between Emery and Ceony. Great character development with fast-paced action.

Air Awakensby Elise Kova (series) (ages 13+) Vhalla thinks she’s just a library assistant but when the prince needs her, she learns she’s the only air elemental in the kingdom. Now she must decide if she’ll train her magic or let the wizards remove it. The second book is already out, too! Adventure and magic make this a great story.

The Infernal Devices(Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess) by Cassandra Clare (series) (ages 14+) Romance, fantastical creatures including vampires and shifters, and plenty of magic. This is the Victorian world of the Shadowhunters. I read the first three books in this series and liked them okay but my 14-year old absolutely loves this series and she’s a die-hard Harry Potter enthusiast.

Harry Potter Film Wizardryby Brian Sibley (ages 10+) My kids love this book! It’s a lot of beautiful photos with details from behind the scenes of the movies.

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I didn’t read through all of the comments, but I’ve read many lists of this type and haven’t seen the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. I began reading it when I was waiting for the next Harry Potter (years ago), and really enjoyed all seven books. The series is similar to Harry Potter but not as deep and not as dark. And I’ve recently discovered that there is a second series focusing on new characters but with the old characters as background.

I love that you included Peter and the Starcatchers and Fablehaven; I absolutely loved those books, but no one seems to know about them. I read a series called The Mysterious Benedict Society a while ago, I think you might enjoy it. Thanks for the recommendations!

Oooh… A couple of these sound like they might be good. I love the school for good and evil, although I read the land of stories a couple of years ago, and it was terrible (but not aimed at my age group I admit). Have you ever thought of doing a post like this (ie. Harry Potter related) for slightly older readers (I’m fourteen)? It would be amazing if you did. I love this website, thank you! x — http://aminorityofonelunacy.blogspot.co.uk/

Your book recs are spot on! Thank you so much. Have you read the Rithmatist? That is also by Brandon Sanderson (Steelheart) and we loved it. I also just finished Firefight and loved that as well. My daughter (11) just blazed through The Throne of Glass books by Sara J. Maas and was in love. I was not as crazy about them but she constantly asks for more of those books so I figure there is something appealing there.

I saw that you mentioned listening to The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe…I have been thinking of trying that with my kids rather than me reading. Do you think it makes a difference for the parent to be doing the reading? I have recently discovered the value of professional narrator with my own books! At the same time, I don’t want to lose that family reading/bonding time.

yes, the Rithmatist was interesting although I didn’t love it as much as his other books. It sounds like you all are big readers -love it! That’s a good question — with different narrator it is different. I think you can be intentional about stopping for unknown words or questions like you would with you reading it yourself to help make it more personalized. However, it’s still fun to share together and gives you a break from reading all the time.

My hubby has written a book that some people say is better than HP! The Last Sanctuary by PS Mokha available through Amazon. The great thing is that it is the beginning of a series and he’s just finished book two and started three so there is something to lose yourself in 🙂

Here in England my son is really enjoying the Michelle Paver brooks.Cornelia Funke has been popular too with his twin.Many thanks for all your recommendations.Their sister is Harry Potter obsessed and I’m trying to wean her off so this list will prove to be very useful.

awesome post! My 7 year old is obsessed with Harry Potter. I’ve held her off from reading book 5 until summer break in less than 2 weeks. We also have loved the Land of Stories series and are eagerly awaiting book 3. Tuesdays at the Castle is a great series for young girls who enjoy Harry Potter.

David Eddings – The Belgariad series and The Mallorean series. A group of heroes undertakes a long journey to fight the big bad in the world. Full of magic, spies, philosophy of good v evil, friendship, relationships, bravery, courage, and betrayal. I read them when I was 13 and they inspired a lifelong love of books an stories.

[…] material to last for awhile. Your kids know the popular series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter, but do you know these lesser known series? I hope you’ll check them out. Read them and […]